Arms Control

This unclassified version of a classified report discusses the United States' implementation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This bilateral agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union requires removal of an entire class of U.S. and Soviet land-based missiles with ranges between 300 and 3,400 miles. To verify compliance, the treaty provides for several types of on-site inspection. GAO (1) describes the On-Site Inspection Agency's role and organizational structure, including what organization and systems are involved in providing agency policy and operational guidance, and (2) identifies the costs and personnel associated with treaty implementation.

GAO found that: (1) OSIA carries out the on-site inspection provisions of the treaty, while numerous federal departments and agencies and several private contractors and foreign governments are responsible for treaty interpretation, Soviet compliance determinations, and U.S. policy decisions; (2) OSIA is organized to conduct inspections of Soviet facilities and escort the Soviets during inspections of U.S. facilities, with a director supported by 3 deputy directors and a substantial support directorate; (3) the costs of inspections and other treaty implementation activities are difficult to identify, since agencies do not always account for treaty-related costs separately and salaries are not included for full-time military personnel, some full-time civilian personnel, and all civilian and military temporary duty personnel; and (4) treaty implementation issues that may have implications for other arms reduction agreements include the need for fully trained inspectors, escorts, and linguists to be identified and hired 4 to 6 months before a treaty becomes effective, adequate funding before treaty ratification to begin start-up efforts, and affording U.S. contractors affected by treaty provisions the opportunity to react to proposals regarding their property.